The scenes that follow will then see Emmerdale's camerawork and editing have a distinctly different feel - for one episode only - to fully show Ashley's point of view.

Revealing what's in store for his character, John explained: "What we're trying to do is very experimental. We're trying to see inside Ashley's head - how it is for him and the way in which he perceives the world.

"It's tricky, and he is in an advanced state of confusion in this episode. He keeps jumping, in terms of where he thinks he is, or when he thinks he is, or who he thinks he's with."

Emmerdale previously strayed from its usual style with one of its Super Soap Week episodes in October, which explored the day of Dotty's christening from Ashley's point of view.

Viewers saw abrupt jump cuts between different times and places to help illustrate how disorientated Ashley felt due to his frequent memory lapses.

Asked whether this episode will be similar, John confirmed: "It has an element of that. Certainly one of the aspects we're using is jump cuts, which we don't normally do in a soap. You know, when you jump from one time to another time, without a scene in between. It's just like bang, you're there.

"We were also talking recently about a director we love working with - Matt Hilton, who directed the episode when Emma came and confused Ashley.

"You probably noticed the odd little off the line camera angles he was using. So you're suddenly seeing it from the confusing state that Ashley must be seeing it, because it's confusing for you as an audience. It's things like that we're messing around with."

On whether the episode is a soap first, John explained: "Yeah, without a doubt it is. I mean, the storyline has been tackled before. The Archers has tackled it, Coronation Street has tackled it with Mike Baldwin.

"But we have a feeling - not to be too pejorative about what everybody else has done - but we have a feeling that they haven't explored it, given it its due, given it the time and the space that it needs.

"We've thought right from the very outset that we really have to explore it in every chapter. I remember myself saying: 'Look, let's be brave about this. Let's tell the story in its nastier aspects, its uglier aspects, its more embarrassing aspects. I don't mind. Let's be brave with it'. And I think we have been very brave with it."

Emmerdale airs Ashley's special episode on Tuesday, December 20 at 7pm on ITV.